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The Biogeography of Madagascar: Where to Turn when the Fossils aren't there

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2017

Anne D. Yoder*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
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Abstract

The biogeography of Madagascar is a subject of deep fascination due both to its long isolation from other land masses and to its intrinsic geological complexity. Here, I describe the geological and biological idiosyncrasies of Madagascar, as well as some of the methods that can potentially be applied toward understanding the present distribution of Malagasy mammals, their ancestral origins, and the mechanisms by which they came to occupy Madagascar. Given the potential enormity of the subject, this contribution is provided more in the spirit of provocation than explanation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by the Paleontological Society 

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